Stellar Transformations

+Previously on Stellar Transformations…

Having accomplished the prerequisites to ascend, Qin Yu decided to spend the last three months with his family on Qian Long continent. Once there, he left his legacy – Stellar Transformations path of practice up to stage eight, with his father. His father was tasked to search for a worthy successor to his legacy. With a beam of holy light from heaven, Qin Yu left the mortal world where his loved ones reside…

…

The Immortal, Devil and Demon Realms makes up a vast space – Almost endless space. The entire region was filled with limitless holy elemental spirit. Its density was exponentially higher than energy equivalent of holy spiritual energy found in the mortal realm.

The massively large region is comprised of four major powers: the immortals at the East realm, the devils at the South realm, the demons in the West and North realms, and finally, the hidden and special power in the Northeast realm.

Though the four major powers may be allocated to their own realms, the boundaries for each realm is very much blurred, in particular the boundary of the mysterious and special region. The borders are usually complex, jagged and overlapping.

One of the largest cosmic domains that contain the immortals and devil realms – Indigo Bay.

The Indigo Bay, a cosmic domain with ten mega-galaxies. These ten galaxies span unimaginably large, each galaxy hold countless planets and stars, but in any case, the planets with life are far less than the total number there is.

One shouldn’t assume that the weakest or the lowest of the food chain in the immortal plane, are immortals, devils and demons. It was just a place with worlds like the mortal world except there are countless Xiuzhenists (practitioners), but many couples give birth to children, whose children become Xiuzhenists, in turn, gives birth to more children, this is the cycle of life in the immortal plane. Being born under the pressure exerted by the transparent and gaseous form of holy elemental energy, infants are born to be at least at the Jindan stage.

Since at birth, the infants must be able to absorb holy elemental energy, while mortals cannot. Remember that these infants are the children of original Xiuzhenists at least at the Jindan stage. Even before birth, in the womb, these children can absorb holy elemental spirit already!

In the immortal plane, infants are born mostly at the boundary between mortals and immortals – Peak Houtian Stage! They are much more powerful than ordinary mortal ascendants, and with just a hundred years of serious training, they can immediately become Jindan Xiuzhenist.

Now compare that to martial practitioners of the mortal realm, the latter needs thousands of years of training to achieve the same stage of comprehending the way of heaven. They’re simply incomparable; not at the same grade like pears versus apples.

Nevertheless……these infants may become immortals very quickly, but it does not mean all will survive those years, so even with the accelerated training, their numbers could not keep up with mortal ascendants.

The Indigo Bay cosmic domain, in a Silver Stream Star System. In there, are thousands upon thousands of planets with Xiuzhenists, but the Amber Moon star is only a mid-large Xiuzhenists’ planet. On it, there are tens of millions of Xiuzhenists, immortals in the tens of thousands and only a few golden immortals.

Even a mid-size planet has so many immortals. Now imagine how many there will in the entire immortal plane?F

…

At the border of the immortal and devil realms, in the cosmic domain of Indigo Bay, within the silver stream system, and on the ‘Amber Moon’ star…

…

Lakeside of ‘Liu Feng’ city – one of the three largest cities of Amber Moon.

A youth in the twenties, was kneeling at the lake, tears glistened in the light like silver droplets.

‘Sob’ “Mother…’sniff’…I’ve been training for many years. At twenty five years old, I, my mother’s son, is 25 years old now, but is still at the Jindan Stage. Only the Jindan Stage! ‘Sob’…Of our clan, the oldest other is only sixteen years old!” the blue clothed youth sobbed to himself, resenting his own lack of talent. Amongst the inner sect of the clan, he’s results was unprecedented.

“I’ve worked so hard, I’ve never slacken my diligence. But, but, no matter how hard I train, how long I train, it’s no use!” the youth in blue bit down on his molars and pounded his right fist into the moist ground. “I don’t have any low grade holy elemental stone. By simply absorbing the elemental spirits in the world, when will I be able to reach the Yuanying Stage?? My only chance….during the clan contest among the inner sect, my only chance was dashed when I fell to the hundredth rank…” His shoulders sagged, frustrated with his own helplessness.

The contest, it was a test of sorts, a contest between peers, an event to gain qualifications.

In his generation, all his peers were at the Yuanying stage, if he weren’t at the last place, who else would it be? “Because I’m weak, I’m at the lowest rank of the contest within the clan, so none of the low grade holy elemental stones were given to me. While the higher ranks are treated as elite disciples with elite privileges. They are given the low grade holy elemental stones, while I’m not given any. I’ve declined, while they’ve grown. The power gap gets larger with each coming year. This burden, this responsibility is getting heavier year on year. Now the gap is so large, that I……I am losing confidence in my abilities…I feel like I’m wandering in the darkness, lost…I can no longer carry on.” The two salty streams fell from above, down the soft textured hills and splashed into the serene lake, causing ripples on the surface.

‘Sniff’, “I’m respectful towards all the older generations of the clan, and I train so hard. Bu…..it’s useless, the results are fruitless. Without the strength, I cannot carry the burden. Without power, I cannot even dream to be…..to be an elite disciple, I will always be tread on as the loser at the bottom.” The young man lamented to himself, his body trembled at this reality.

“Father, he….he is so strict with his demands, but…..I can’t help it! Every day, ‘Sniff’, every day, I spent more than half the day training, but my potential is poor, much worse than my peers. My meridians – my spiritual channels, are weak and thin…..when will I be able to stand up? When will I be able to change my life for the better?” the youth wore a bleak expression, his lips – a grimace. “Liu Han Shu, I am a ‘Liu’ of the great ‘Liu’ Clan. But for me, it represents endless pressure. My heart and body are tired. I can no longer hold up the burdens.”

The Liu Clan, one of three great houses on Amber Moon. The Liu Clan has been in existed for a number of thousands of years, naturally, its younger generations are numerous as well. In the Clan contest, the competition is fierce, and Liu Han Shu is the weakest among his peers.

New-borns are generally near the edge of the peak Houtain Stage. In general, at age five, they will reach early Jindan stage and at age ten, they’ll reach early Yuanying stage. But Liu Han Shu? He was still at the Jindan stage at age twenty five! His peers were already at the Yuanying stage.

Poor aptitude, there’s nothing more to say.

“Father, he originally had poor aptitude, but he was very respectful and treated everyone with care. One day, on that particular day, he met an immortal stage expert who helped him widen his meridian channels, so that father could finally catch up to the average man. Now he is a Dongxu stage practitioner. Father said that towards experts, ‘you must bowed and pay compliments’. But to do so for a lifetime, to live as a person at the will of another, I cannot withstand such humiliation.” He laughed at himself, “Mother, I don’t have the aptitude, the strength, the talents, and still desire to be the strongest, like the tallest pine in the forest. Are these only dreams?” Liu Han Shu wore a dreary expression.

He had become very tired over these passing years. A young adult at the Jindan stage, what was that? Every when walking down the street, one needs to look down and avoid eye contact and other’s wrath. Children at the age of twelve years old would already be at the Yuanying stage, they could beat him blind-folded.

Being humiliated by others, being looked down at by his own clan members, being denounced by his father, and even despised by his peers……

This has all driven Liu Han Shu mad. Mad with grief.

He always wanted to be someone who was respected, someone praise-worthy, someone with a happy and warm home of a loving family. But…… in this world, a fiercely competitive world, only the strong is respected….

But Han Shu is the weak.

It’s not because he doesn’t work hard – he works harder than anyone, but his aptitude and potential were too poor, that is why he is failing so miserably.

Whenever he cannot withstand that pressure, that humiliation, he would come to this lakeside.

That year, his mother had perished at this same lake, killed by a Kongming stage expert. His mother was a strong practitioner at the Kongming stage. If his mother was still alive, maybe he would have live a better life.

But –––––––

That was only just a fantasy.

“This is how my days pass. Anyway, I should return. Amber Moon is only so big, where could I hide from the probing sense of a Xiuzhenist? Impossible, I can only face reality. Time to go back and train in earnest.” Liu Han Shu stood up, his face – a sour expression.

If Liu Han Shu would return normally with Qing Chang, then he would be subject to a lifetime of endless humiliation, and to live at the very bottom of the entire Amber Moon star.

However, this time it will be different from the first few times…

As Liu Han Shu turned, preparing to go back…

…

A voice echoed around the lake, a clear and aloof voice. “Hey, friend.”

Liu Han Shu was truly the weakest critter on Amber Moon. If someone called him, how could he dare not to listen? He immediately turned his body, his visage instantly changed from grim to ‘respectful and friendly’.

It was a notable skill to not insult the great powers out there and to live a good life.

He slowly looked upwards to the source of the voice.

The air above him blurred, a figure appeared in front of him.

“So fast. At least a Kongming expert.” He’s live for some time among Xiuzhenists so his judgement isn’t bad.

The expert was a man dressed in black robes. Robes the fluttered lightly with the wind. Eyes full of wisdom, but also piercing as if he could see through people’s souls.

The expert was…

It was Qin Yu.

…

Formerly, he had ascended with Shi Xin, his divine beast. He had thought that they would arrive at the same place, but after he came to Amber Moon, he could not find Shi Xin at all.

Even with his ‘Soul link’, he could barely feel Shi Xin in the western direction, but how far, he wasn’t sure. Qin Yu couldn’t imagine the distance between him and Shi Xin. Clearly, Shi Xin has ascended to another planet in the demon realm, while he was one this planet.

“Junior Liu Han Shu greets his senior.” The blue robed youth bowed respectfully.

Qin Yu secretly nodded at the fellow, and using his immortal sense, he swept through the youth. He found that this Liu Han Shu was at the middle Jindan stage, but the fellow’s meridians was actually very narrow.

“With such narrow meridian, he could still become a Jindan stage practitioner?” Qin Yu felt shocked at this information.

If the fellow was in the mortal plane, and with such narrow meridians, even reaching Xiantian would be near-impossible, let alone Jindan stage. But Qin Yu was mistaken, he had forgotten than practitioners in the immortal plane could not be compared to those in the mortal plane. This was because, in the immortal plane, the practitioners would be able to absorb the dense elemental energy.

“Hm, how old are you?” Qin Yu inquired. He wanted to know how long it takes to become a Jindan stage Xiuzhenist with such poor quality meridians.

Liu Han Shu could not help a trace of bitterness show on his face. An aged twenty-five middle Jindan stage practitioner was regarded as a joke.

“This junior is twenty-five this year. Because I have poor aptitude, I’ve spent such a long time to reach this stage.” The fellow replied without hesitation, he couldn’t dare not to answer.

Qin Yu was shocked. “Twenty-five years old? It took twenty-five years to reach middle Jindan stage? You aren’t lying, right?” On the Qian Long continent, in general, for practitioners to reach early Jindan stage it takes an additional decade, and to reach middle Jindan stage, it will take over a century. At only twenty-five, the fellow was already at middle Jindan! He is a genius.

Qin Yu took close to twenty years to reach early Nebula stage.

“Junior dares not to lie to senior about such a shameful thing.” Liu Han’s face twisted into a grimace, but he felt that this expert was different from the resident experts of Amber Moon. The experts in the past were extremely arrogant, hardly giving a word, but this fellow was at least friendly with him.

“Shame?” Qin Yu felt startled at Liu Han’s reply.

Prior to ascending, Qin Yu had investigated some things about the immortal plane such as information about golden immortals and immortal emperors, as well as geography and so on. As for immortal plane Xiuzhenists? Why would Qin Yu care about them?

That’s why he wasn’t very knowledgeable about immortal planes’ Xiuzhenists.

Seeing Qin Yu undisguised surprise, Liu Han Shu continued in a self-mocking manner, “Usually around the age of 5-6, children will reach early Jindan stage, around 10-11, they will be at Yuanying stage. And around the twenties, they will be at the Dongxu stage, yet I’m still at the Jindan stage, how could I not be ashamed?”

Qin Yu inhaled a sharp breath. Jindan stage at ages 5 to 6? And that’s normal?? Himself had only reach Nebula at twenty and was venerated and worship by countless descendants of the Qin clan. If these results were to be brought to the immortal plane, would it not be humiliating?

“Shuo Yan. Does immortal planes’ Xiuzhenists train very quickly?” Qin Yu projected his inner voice into the Atlas of Ten Thousand Beasts.

Within the first layer world of the Atlas, Shuo Yan began to explain the situation to her master. Their conversation last a long time, but in reality, time had trickled by, by less than a split second.

“I see.” Qin Yu nodded to himself. Thought he still has many grievances such as finding a complete map of the realms. For most golden immortals (devils and demons), they rarely venture out of a galaxy, in most case, they would just teleport within the galaxy to go about their businesses. Even the demons of the Atlas only have knowledge about a few demon systems in the demon realm. They wouldn’t know of the overall geography of the realms.

“Liu Han Shu, which planet are we on now? And which territory does it belong to – demon, devil or immortal?” Qin Yu urged to the fellow to continue.

In spite of the expert’s near ‘dumb’ questions, Liu Han Shu continued to explain politely: “This planet is called the Amber Moon planet. It is within the Indigo Bay domain that is within the Silver Stream galaxy. This galaxy is not in either immortal or devil controlled realms, it is on the boundary of both, and connect to either side. There are immortal controlled planets and devil controlled planets within this galaxy. This planet is under the control of the immortals.”

Qin Yu finally gained a clear understanding. He ascended to a place not of immortal nor devil. To this day, he has only opened the first layer world of the Atlas, whose demons would not know anything about the devil or immortal realms, let alone this planet called Amber Moon.

An idea springs to his mind, “In this immortal plane, with powers lower than a golden immortals are incapable of interstellar travel. For now, I’ll live here temporarily on this Amber Moon planet. Only when I’ve reached the golden immortal stage and able to open the second layer world of the Atlas, and at that time, I will go scour the universe!” He had made up his mind – first train then act.

Now, Qin Yu understood that this Liu Han Shu stood at the bottom level of all Xiuzhenists on this planet.

“Liu Han Shu, I am not very familiar with this Amber Moon planet, so advice where possible. Here.” He retrieved a middle grade holy elemental stone from his inventory, “This is a middle grade holy elemental stone, and it will be a remuneration for your guidance.”